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Time to say goodbye!
After years of experimenting, I've found that every paint brand has its own distinct character—some inspire my art, while others force me to say goodbye.
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Paletteful Packs – May 2023
May’s Paletteful Packs wasn’t my favorite, but surprises like the Stabilo Woody pencils and trusty Strathmore watercolor pad made it worth exploring!
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Paletteful Packs – March 2023
Exploring dip pens was out of my comfort zone, but they transformed my linework. Despite challenges, their versatility and satisfying precision convinced me to keep using them!
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Paletteful Packs – February 2023
Contents Cretacolor Oil Pencil Drawing Set Cretacolor Oil Pencils are excellent for general purpose sketching and drawing when a dense shiny, smudge proof stroke is needed. They are oil-based and water-resistant. This complete pocket tin set of six Artist’s oil pencils includes one each of Nero black soft and extra-soft, white, sanguine, sepia light and dark pencils. MSRP: $17.99. Available on Szał dla Plastyków for 40,70 PLN (9,90 USD… half the MSRP!) Cretacolor Nero Charcoal Oil Drawing Stick and Lead Holder Deep black lines can be produced with this soft stick. The stick is water and smudge-resistant, and more difficult to break than graphite sticks. Nero Sticks work excellently in conjunction with traditional charcoal and all water-based media. Place the stick into the Cretacolor leader holder. A lead holder makes working with 5.6 mm leads much easier. It protects the leads from breaking and keeps hands clean. MSRP: $2.49 (Drawing…
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Paletteful Packs – December 2022
Contents Sennelier Aqua Mini Watercolor Set The roots of Sennelier watercolors are to be found in the Impressionist school. At that time, painters drew their inspiration from nature and set out to reproduce natural light. Watercolor technique offered spontaneity, lightness of touch, fluidity and transparency allowing a quick translation of a particular light, vibration or shape. Paul Cézanne, for instance, produced forty or so watercolors of the Mont Sainte Victoire in Provence. Earlier on in England and on the Normandy coast in France, William Turner had turned painting in watercolors as an art form in its own right and had even managed to produce genuine masterpieces. Since then watercolors have become an established part of the history of painting. Artists love them because of their radiance and their spontaneity. It is such a pleasure when the painter plays with the light of the paper and the brightness of fleeting, intense…
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Paletteful Packs – November 2022
Contents Cretacolor Metallic Pencils (x4) These highly pigmented, brilliant color, artist quality pencils offer a soft, rich, creamy and slightly waxy stroke. The extra-thick 6.4mm core offers ample useable color and the 11mm hexagonal wood casing gives comfort to grip. All colors blend and layer easily. They are opaque and provide great coverage, allowing for both fine and broad lines. The lead has also been glued to the casing to prevent breakage. The pencils feature a transparent lacquer except for the 3/4″ tip that conveniently indicates the true color of the pencil. LW’s note: I used to have similar pencils when I was a kid and they weren’t anything special, I think they were mostly cool-looking gimmicks. For that reason, I wasn’t particularly excited about the Cretacolor pencils but I was curious about what they can actually do when given a fair try. MSRP: $12.32. I didn’t find the separate…